The 8th Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iraq on July 1, 1970) was held in the village of Nawprdan after the March 11, 1970 Agreement.
Circumstances and ReasonsThe authorities' officers prevented the implementation of the June 29, 1966 agreement concluded between the revolution leadership and the Iraqi government, as these officers used the former Political Bureau group of the Party that settled in Baghdad against the revolution, by arming their followers and building centers and headquarters for them in some areas where the Peshmerga Forces were present, in addition to dismissing Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzaz from the premiership and appointing Tahir Yahya to replace him. In late August 1967, the new Prime Minister, heading a government delegation, visited the leader Mustafa Barzani, where the Iraqi Prime Minister promised the leader Mustafa Barzani a lot regarding the implementation of the June 29 statement and disarming the Fursan (Jash), especially the followers of the old Political Bureau group.
After a period, it became clear that the government was not determined to disarm the Jash, and on the contrary, they were being supported more by the authorities' officers without the will and desire of the Prime Minister, which led to the resumption of fighting between the Jash and the Peshmerga, causing a cooling in relations between the revolution leadership and the government in early 1968, and then the outbreak of fighting on April 15, 1968.
On July 17, 1968, the Ba'ath Party launched a coup against the authority and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became President of the Republic, and the regime eased its direct war with the Kurds and began encouraging and arming the Jash against the revolution. The intensity of the battle reached its peak, and finally, after several battles and clashes, the government Jash were defeated on October 18, 1968, and took refuge in government bases in Kirkuk..
After those defeats, and in September 1969, the government launched an initiative to reach an agreement with the revolution leadership and sent its delegation to Nawprdan. After a series of meetings in Baghdad and Nawprdan, and the visit made by Saddam Hussein, Vice President of the Iraqi Republic, to Nawprdan and his meeting with the leader Mustafa Barzani on March 11, 1970, an agreement was signed between the Iraqi Ba'ath government and the revolution leadership, which resulted in the recognition of what the Kurds had revolted for, i.e., the recognition of the political and national rights of the Kurdish people in southern Kurdistan.
Holding the CongressAfter the March 11 Agreement, the Congress was held from July 1 to 6, 1970, in the village of Nawprdan in the presence of 488 delegates. Given the favorable and stable atmosphere, this was considered the third Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to be held publicly. Several delegations from various Iraqi parties participated in it, including: the delegation of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, the delegation of the National Democratic Communist Party, the delegation of the Arab Socialist Movement, the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, delegations of Kurdish parties from neighboring countries, the delegation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Lebanon, the delegation of the Kurdish Students Society in Europe, and the United Nations. Among the personalities, Kamiran Bedir Khan attended it.
The Congress began with a speech delivered by the leader Mustafa Barzani, followed by the reading of the political report of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party by Habib Mohammed Karim, the Secretary of the Party, in Arabic. In the end, the Central Committee concluded the work of the 8th Congress on July 10, 1970, by issuing a final statement to the media and its representatives..
The structure of the Kurdistan Democratic Party was formed based on the internal regulations of the 8th Congress as follows: Cell, Organizational Committee, Regional Committee, Sub-Committee, Central Committee, Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Committee, President. The Central Inspection Body also consisted of one member from the Political Bureau and two members from the Central Committee of the Party.
The Congress members approved the program and internal regulations of the Congress, and unanimously re-elected the leader Mustafa Barzani as President of the Party. The members of the new Central Committee of the Party were also elected, and they are the gentlemen:
Habib Mohammed Karim – Secretary
Ali Abdullah
Sami Abdulrahman
Hashim Hassan Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Ismail Mulla Aziz
Lieutenant Colonel Aziz Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Rashid Sindi
Shakib Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Ali Qasim Shenkali
Dara Tawfiq
Abdul Qarni
Sadiq Afandi
Reserve members of the Central Committee:
Rashid Arif Abdulrahman
Ali Hazar
Nu'man Isa
Sheikh Rida Gulani
Jirjis Fathallah Shammas
Mohammed Mulla Qadir
Sha'ban Said Mohammed
Qadir Jabbari
The Political Bureau consisted of the comrades:
Habib Mohammed Karim, Secretary of the Central Committee
Dr. Mahmoud Othman, responsible for the Foreign Relations Committee
Aziz Akrayi (Aqrawi)
Sami Abdulrahman
Salih Yusifi, responsible for the Mass Organizations Bureau
Ali Abdullah
Nuri Sadiq Shaways
At the same time, the old Political Bureau group, which was operating under the name of the Party, held its seventh congress in Baghdad. During the congress, they decided to dissolve the group, and they also raised the issue of joining the Party, which was done unanimously. They then contacted Mr. Masoud Barzani through the Fourth Branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and asked him to convey this request of theirs to the leader Mustafa Barzani. After informing the leader Mustafa Barzani of their desire, his Excellency issued a pardon for them, and Jalal Talabani visited Haji Omaran on August 7, 1970, and met there with the leader Barzani. After a series of meetings, a general amnesty was issued for them unanimously on October 1 of the same year, and they returned to the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Sources- Archive of the Encyclopedia Authority of the Kurdistan Democratic Party